The Synergy Ball Page

What's a Synergy Ball? Good question. A Synergy Ball is a model
of a tensegrity sphere, which is the basis for much of the
geometry of geodesic domes.

I began developing the original prototypes in college during
the Spring of 1989 with my good friend, John Atkins. (He was
the one who first introduced me to the world of R. Buckminster
Fuller and literally changed the course of my life. Thanks,
John! :-) )

Rather than using the traditional "sticks and string" method
of constructing a tensegrity, which you can see an example of
in this image, John and I combined the separate tension and
compression elements in order to simplify the design, and
construction.

We replaced each 5-element cluster (1 strut and 4 tendons)
with a diamond-shaped piece of paper folded lengthwise into a
"V". The fold provided the structural stability of the strut,
and each edge of the diamond provided the tension elements of
the tendons. It also reduced the complexity of the model by a
factor of five and made it easy to mass-produce. (For example,
the predominant model you see here was reduced from 150 pieces
[30 struts + 120 tendons, 60 in each of two sizes] to just 30
struts, with all of the angles and lengths pre-calculated,
making assembly a breeze.

"A picture's worth a thousand words", as the saying goes, so
let's have a look at a few...

These are models I constructed between 1989 and
1992. They're made of paper, or of diffraction grating
(irridescent plastic film) backed with paper.

There is a
version of the Synergy Ball being produced
commercially by Design
Science Toys, Ltd., of Tivoli, NY, USA. (Search for
"Synergy Ball".) It is made of heavy recycled cardstock
paper and comes in either red/white or blue/white. It's
designed to go together with no cutting or pasting.

Over the years, we have discussed the possibility of
producing a diffraction-grating model in addition to
the red and blue paper models, but were not sure if
there would be demand for them. (I personally think
they make gorgeous "sun catcher" mobiles and really
light up a window with rainbows.) I've also considered
producing kits in different sizes so you could nest
them like some of the above models, and possibly in
other frequencies, such as the more delicate-looking
90-strut model above. If you are interested in seeing
such things become available, please drop me a line
and let your voice be heard! (Please say which types
of models appeal to you, diffraction, different sizes,
different frequencies, or some combination of them.)
If enough people express an interest, I can work with
Design Science Toys to make it happen.

You can order a production model from them by phoning
1-800-227-2316 or 914-756-4221. Or, directly over the
web.

There are also other dealers selling Synergy
Balls via the web. Here's a search on Google to find some.

Here is a newspaper article that appeared in my
hometown paper in 1994 about the Synergy Ball.

And here is a page with a picture of the largest Synergy
Ball yet built, by Fernando Sierra and his
Industrial Design students at Pontificia
Bolivariana University in Colombia.